Royals
by snakebun
Summary: He's a prince of a forgotten planet, she's the princess of tech. Will sparks fly? You already know the answer. When Trunks appears, will the pair continue to blossom?
1. Chapter 1

UPDATE!  
I didn't proofread and forgot the end of the chapter, making the next one not make sense!

* * *

It was hard to focus on any real work with him waltzing about the house without a shirt. She found herself staring more often than she'd like to admit. She sat in the comfort of her living room, pouring over figures and equations. How could that armor be replicated for their advantage? She needed to take measurements of the men, and also wondered how she would look wearing her own creation.

"Woman!"

Her fashion trance was broken. "Yes, your highness?" she said, mockingly.

"Your gravity machine isn't up to my standards."

"There's a surprise."

"It needs more power. I want to go one thousand times Earth's gravity."

"Sure, kill yourself before the androids even get here. I'll do what i can, but it can wait until tomorrow. I'm trying to figure this out first."

He looked down at her papers. She had begun drawing a female version of his armor. "Oh yes, you're very busy with that. What do you humans call that clothes thing?"

"Fashion?"

"Yes, fashion. At least you can imagine yourself wearing something that isn't completely sore on the eyes," he said, eying her hot pink top and purple crop pants.

She felt herself getting hot. "I wear designer clothes. You don't even wear a shirt."

"I expect you to get to work on your gravity machine when you're done with your..." he smirked, "whatever you're doing."

She fake laughed. "Vegeta, you're such a riot!"

He narrowed his eyes. "That machine won't fix itself."

"I said tomorrow."

"I need to train now, woman."

She looked at the clock. "It's late. You've been working hard all day. Take a load off and relax."

"I can't do that. I have to get stronger. I have to be stronger than everyone."

She had started to organize her papers into folders and was picking them up. "Tomorrow." She stood up. "It's late now. I'm going to turn in." She looked into his scowling eyes. "Goodnight."

He said nothing and watched her go up the stairs. He had nothing better to do than follow her example and head off to bed himself.

It wasn't that much later when he realized he couldn't sleep. He thought he had heard her bedroom door open followed shortly by the front door of the house. His curiosity got the better of him and he found himself going outside.

She was lying in the grass next to his gravity machine and didn't move when the door opened. Her gaze didn't turn when he looked down at her.

"What are you doing?"

"On clear nights i like to get my charts and look at the stars."

He looked up. "There's nothing up there to get excited about."

"I'm not really looking at the stars. I like sitting outside to clear my head and think." She looked at him. "Lay with me."

"What?"

"Come see what I mean. Lay here next to me."

He sat on the grass with what he tried to pass off as reluctance. She smiled when he laid next to her, his head next to hers.

"So you just sit here?"

She breathed deeply. "Yes." She sighed. "I just have so many thoughts and ideas running around. I feel like this helps me get them all in order. I don't feel pressured or threatened."

"This is boring and idiotic."

"Normally that would offend me and I'd yell or try to hit you. I'm incredibly calm in this moment." She moved her arm until she felt her hand brush against his.

Her hand was cold against his. He inched a little closer so that his arm was touching hers. She was so cold compared to him. He felt like he was made of fire most of the time.

She sighed deeply, trying to absorb his warmth. It was nice not to be alone. Maybe she could add the Saiyan prince to her growing circle that included a Saiyan and Namekian (she was referring to Dende of course. Piccolo scared the hell out of her).

"What is the point to this?"

"In the chaos that is my life this is my brief retreat. I get peace and quiet." She smiled and looked at him. "It's nice to have company for a change. Sometimes I feel alone when I'm with my parents or friends. I don't feel that way with you." She looked away and wondered what came over her to make her say that. Her face was turning red. "Well, maybe I should just go to bed now. I'm tired all of a sudden."

He grabbed her arm when she sat up. "What did you mean by that? That you don't feel lonely with me."

"Oh, I have no idea what I'm talking about," she flustered. "It's been a long day. I'm tired. I'm delusional, crazy even. Shut up!"

"Liar."

_Wow, it's a lot easier when he's just training all day_. "If you want me to upgrade the machine then I've got to get some sleep. You aren't going to be my only concern tomorrow." She stood and turned towards the house.

"I'm alone in this world."

She stopped walking. Of course he was lonely. He had no family and refused to call her friends comrades. He was one of two in the universe, carrying on a legacy that no longer mattered. She sighed and went back to him, sitting next to him on the grass. She made a bold move and rested her head on his shoulder. His body stiffened.

"You aren't alone. You could make friends here. Goku is a very good man by Earth standards, despite what you think of him. He insists on seeing the good in everyone. He tried so hard to convince everyone that there is good in you. I trust him and I knew I had to give you a chance."

"I don't need his pity, or yours, woman."

"It isn't pity, it's trust." She yawned. "Please, let's go to bed now." She kissed him on the cheek. "You're great to talk to when you're being civil. Goodnight."

He sat there dumbfounded with a slight blush when she finally left him. What was that about?

* * *

She heard a slight tap on her door. She put down her book and looked at the clock. It was one in the morning. She had been reading for almost two hours. "Come in."

He opened the door slowly and peered inside.

"What do you want?"

He moved quickly and was on top of her before she could think. Her gasp was stifled behind a kiss. She offered little resistance as her mouth met his with matched fervor. Her fingers ran through his spiky hair and down his bare back. He moved his lips down her chin to her neckline where he teased the skin with his teeth.

"We shouldn't do this," she said, breathless.

"Why not?'

She didn't have an answer. "Shut up."

He positioned himself between her legs so she could feel his desire. Her breath caught and was met with more kissing. He teased her lips with the tip of his tongue, enticing her to open them. She obliged, loving the sensation. She'd never had this much passion with anyone else.

His hand was on her hip, pulling her closer to him.

She squealed. "Vegeta!" He was pulling her clothes off. She was completely lost in a cloud of bliss when she first felt him. She moaned, loudly. "I love you!"

He stopped. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "What's wrong?"

"You're right. We shouldn't be doing this." He moved off the bed.

"Please..." She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Don't go. I need you."

He slipped back into her embrace. "I need you," he said, huskily sending her back to a world of bliss.


	2. Chapter 2

When she woke the following morning to her surprise he was still there. She buried her face into his neck and wished the world would stop for just a few more minutes. This was perfect even if it made no sense to her.

He didn't know what to think. These feelings were foreign, confusing, and unfitting for a warrior like himself. He was caught in her embrace and struggled with the decision to leave her.

She noticed he was awake and sat up first. "I've got to get to work," she said. She found her clothes from the previous night and discarded them in a basket. She threw on her grease monkey garb and hastily tied back her hair. "that gravity machine won't upgrade itself!" She looked at him and hesitated. Another kiss was probably too much. "I'll see you later," she said and left.

He smiled. He was feeling pretty proud of himself at that moment.

~~~~~

She did research on her laptop as she tuned his training room. The absolute highest the machine could go was 450 times Earth's gravity. A thousand was just an exaggeration, right? She poured over the figures. He deserved the best she had to offer, especially after their previous encounter. She shivered when she remembered the sensations. She giggled.

"What's so amusing?"

She gasped. "Don't sneak up on people like that! You scared me!"

"You need to learn to feel others presence. I can feel you across the house."

"I would need a good teacher." She looked at him.

"There's always your friend Kakarot."

"Yeah, sure." She looked at her laptop. "I have bad news. I can't get the machine over 450 without it collapsing on itself."

"That's not good enough."

"It'll have to be. You want to keep your training room, don't you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, I will take it if it's the best you can do."

"You're too kind." She closed her laptop and restored power to the machine. "It's all finished." She looked at him.

He immediately met her gaze. She blushed. She was into him and it stroked his ego. As he walked to her she backed up until she was against the control panel. He placed his hand on the wall next to her head.

"V-Vegeta!"

"Saying my name only makes me want it more." He moved his hands down to her backside and pulled her to him. "You have a nice ass."

"I could say the same about you."

He covered her mouth with kisses as he began rocking her body against his. She moaned and grabbed a handful of his hair. "We shouldn't do this here."

He playfully bit her neck. "I thought you liked taking risks."

A metallic pounding made them stop. It was the hatch to the training room. "I see her in the window," said a small voice.

"Puar!" He released her from her position. She straightened her top and hair and went to open the hatch. He leaned over the console, waiting for his body to relax.

"Hey, Bulma. What are you doing in here?" Yamcha asked.

"Just some repairs." She looked at Vegeta before closing the hatch. He glared daggers at Yamcha as the doors closed. "What do you want?"

"I want a second chance?" He produced a bouquet of flowers from behind his back.

She shook her head. "No, not this time. It's over between us. I've moved on, you should too."

"How many times to I have to apologize?"

"You don't mean any of it. You're a creature of habit and you'll just do it all over again. I'm done."

"Yamcha, she's serious," Puar said quietly.

"How do you know?"

"She was kissing Vegeta in there."

"Puar!"

"What?! After all he's done to us?!"

"You mean like how he didn't try to kill us on Namek?"

"How am I supposed to know? I was dead at the time. He killed me!"

"And we brought you back!"

"What the hell is your problem? He could kill you anytime he wants!"

"He's been here two years and hasn't yet! Go yell at Goku about it. He's the one who knew Vegeta can be trusted. Just get out of here and leave me alone!"

"When you realize this is a mistake, don't come crawling to me asking for me to take you back."

"I don't want you!" She screamed as he flew off. She stomped into the house in a huff, cursing the former bandit. She immediately took to a shower.

"Stupid jerk. I don't need him. I made him. He shoulda just left us stranded that first time. I went out of my way to Namek and he repays me by jumping onto another woman."

"He's so honorable."

She screamed and almost slipped. "Get out of here!"

He pulled open the shower door. "You really don't mean that."

"I think I hate men right now." She looked up and down his nude body. "Get that hot body in here." She immediately embraced him. "He's such an idiot. He gave up on me first and is mad I won't be his fall back girl again! I don't need him. I have y-" She looked away. She felt like her love was one sided.

He lifted her face and saw tears in her eyes. He gently brushed them away with his thumb before kissing her.

She enjoyed the soft embrace and had to stop herself from ruining the moment.

He pulled away when he felt her jaw tighten. "Are you not enjoying this?"

"I am, a little too much." She hugged him close to her. "_I love you_."

He heard the whisper clearly. It was getting to be too much. He considered returning her feelings. The last thing he needed was a distraction. The Androids were coming and his goal was not yet achieved. However, she was right there in his arms, beautiful, not only by Earth standards, but his as well. He kissed the top of her head. "You need rest."

She reached behind him and turned off the shower. "Come with me, please."

"My room or yours?"

"Mine."

He nodded and left her there to finish drying off.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
She was in love. When he wasn't locked away in his training room, she was with him. They spent almost all of their nights together.

In the passing month he still couldn't reach his goal. The training wasn't enough. He had to be stronger, and now not just only for the sake of the world. He wanted to protect her and also their unborn child. He felt the child's energy inside her. It was small, but very noticeable. It responded to his energy levels as he made it rise and fall just so he could be sure something was there. She did not yet know, or if she did she hadn't told anyone. This would distract him to no end. He needed isolation. He had to get away from the distractions of this world.

"Do you still have your space capsule?"

She looked at him, confused. "It's in the lab. It's still functional, but hasn't been touched since we came back from Namek."

"I would like to use it."

"What? Where will you go?"

"Another planet. I'll be back before the Androids arrive, or when I reach Super Saiyan."

She sat in shock. "You're leaving?"

"Yes. I want the space ship. I've surpassed my training here, leaving no chance of improvement if I continue."

"You're… leaving…"

"I need that spaceship."

"I need you! You can't leave me!"

"How do you expect me to defeat the Androids? They're coming to lay waste to your world."

She looked away, tears burning her eyes. She wanted to scream, cry, and hit something. She could find no words as she went to her lab to retrieve the space ship. Did he lead her on this whole time so that he could get what he wanted? Her heart sank.

When she returned with the capsule, he was casually sitting in the living room. She clenched her fists at the sight of him. "You're a heartless, selfish, spoiled bastard!" She threw the capsule at him.

He caught it easily. It just made her even madder.

"It's not about the Androids. It's all about being stronger than Goku, beating the man who wounded your pride. Why did you bother pretending to be interested in me? I wanted to help you, not fall in love with you!"

"I will return."

"Why should I believe you?" She turned away from him.

He wrapped his arms around her. "You have my word. I will return."

She cried. She buried her face in his chest and cried. "Don't get killed out there."

"There isn't anything strong enough out there to kill me. I'm the prince of all Saiyans."

She smiled. "Let's go outside so I can show you the controls of the ship."

"Thank you."

She gasped. "Oh, you're learning manners. That's so sweet."

"Woman, I can break you."

"But you won't." She kissed him. "I'm sorry I acted like that. I don't know what's wrong with me."

He knew.


	4. Chapter 4

[I've taken some very artistic license at this point. After writing, I went back and watched the part of the series around which time this happened, but left it unchanged. Enjoy.]

Chapter 4

He kept a close eye on his Earth clock, trying to calculate exactly when his child would be born. Within the week he guessed. This planet he was on was so remote. There was an electrical storm followed by a meteor shower. He decided to fight both.

_I have to be stronger. I have to protect them. They are my reason_.

He stared up at the large meteor that threatened to destroy the planet. His spark ignited. His power rose to extreme levels and his hair turned blond. "Big Bang Attack!" The energy burst towards the meteor destroying it on impact.

He stood still in the moment. The energy flowed to his body in a way he never felt before. He felt like he could feel each individual blood cell course through his veins. He leaned his head back and laughed. He was lost in the euphoria of his new found power.

A solar system away, a purple haired boy was born.

"Bulma, you did great! He's beautiful." Her blond mother practically skipped around the room at the sight of her grandson.

Chi-Chi sighed with relief. "Your labor was longer than mine."

Bulma looked into the face of her new son. "Welcome to the world."

Goku burst through the door holding flowers with Gohan following behind him holding balloons.

"Goku, be quiet. There's a baby in here!" his wife hissed at him.

"Sorry, I'm just so excited. He's family."

Bulma grinned at her best friend. "Come get him." Goku took the baby boy tenderly in his arms as the others watched on.

"What's his name?" Gohan asked.

"Trunks."

"Where's Yamcha?"

"Probably being a loser somewhere. This isn't his baby, anyway. He's all mine."

Goku babbled at the baby quietly so no one could hear him as Gohan was talking to Bulma and his mother. "Who's the prince of all Saiyans? You are. Yes, you are! You have your father's scowl. Yes, you do." He laughed when the baby opened his blue eyes. "You don't know this, but we've already met. I look forward to watching you grow up."

"Goku has such a way with children," Chi-Chi said. "Give Trunks back to his mother. It's time for us to go home."

"Aw…" He handed Trunks to Bulma and kissed her on the cheek. "He's beautiful. Tell Vegeta we said hi!"

She nodded, even though she didn't know when or if she was going to see him again.

She went home the next day with infant in tow. She set up the nursery with a cute animal theme set to pale blues and greens, but she intended on keeping him in her room with the bassinet until he was comfortable sleeping through the night.

He returned late one night, sneaking in when the others were asleep. He felt the small presence and went to find it. She was collapsed on her bed at an odd angle. He picked up the package in the baby bed and tiptoed out quietly. He turned on the small lamp in the child's room and studied his features. That was his face; it reminded him of his own father. His hair was purple, though like his maternal grandfather.

She walked into the room rubbing her eyes. "Mom? I didn't even hear him." She looked at him and gasped. "Vegeta!"

He looked up from the infant's face, shocked, but not able to hide the pride from his eyes.

Her eyes filled with tears. "You came back."

"I gave you my word."

"Did you do it? Are you a Super Saiyan now?"

"Yes." He looked back at the infant's face.

"His name is Trunks. He's only a week old."

"Exactly one week?"

"Yes…"

"That's the day I became a Super Saiyan."

She smiled. "Wow, that's amazing. Maybe your energies were in harmony. No, that's silly. You left before I found out I was pregnant."

"I knew before you did. I could feel his energy inside you."

"And you just left?"

"I had to get stronger."

"Because of the Androids or so you can have your rematch with Goku?"

"I did it for you!"

She was taken aback. "What?"

He gently set the baby into his unused crib. "Do you want to die when the Androids arrive? I have to be strong to protect my family."

"I know you're strong." She looked down at their son. "There's more than one way to measure strength. The size of your heart can't be picked up on one of those scouters." She embraced him. "I missed you so much."

"I can say the same about you, even with your endless nagging."

She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I missed this." She looked at him. "So, can I see it?"

"You want to see the transformation?"

"Yes. Come on, we can go in the gravity room!"

"It might be too much for you."

"I'll decide that for myself. My mom will hear him if he wakes." She pulled on his arm. "Please?"

He let her drag him outside to the gravity machine. She sealed the door behind them and waited patiently for him to show her his new found power.

It was easier now. He imagined her face and well as his son's and the overwhelming need to protect them from harm. His power level rose higher and higher until his spark ignited, transforming his hair and eyes.

She shaded her eyes from the blinding energy coming off his body. For the first time, she felt his energies pulsating around him. She looked at him. He was in another world enjoying the strong power. He laughed. It sent a shiver up her spine. She'd heard that wicked laugh before on Namek. She became fearful.

"Your power level is nothing! You're weak! You were a fool for thinking you could face me!"

She couldn't move. The energy became stronger. The true Saiyan he had always been was before her and he could kill her at any moment, but she couldn't run. "Vegeta…"

"How dare you address me? I'm the prince of all Saiyans! The most powerful in all the universe!" He glared at her with cold, aqua colored eyes.

She gasped. "It's me; Bulma. You have to stop this. You're scaring me."

The energies calmed down in the room. He looked at her softly, his appearance unchanged. He was ashamed he couldn't control himself in that moment. He saw the fear in her eyes and looked away. "I'm sorry."

"No, I should have listened to you. You said it would be too much and I didn't believe you. You're much stronger than I expected. It's… wonderful." She embraced him. "I'm proud of my strong prince."

He kissed her, softly, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She smiled. It was just as she remembered before he left. She rested her hands on his chest and noticed his muscles were very tense. She looked up at him. "I don't think I like this look." She ran her hand through his blond hair.

He closed his eyes and took deep breaths in an attempt to relax. She watched his determined face as his hair darkened before her eyes.

"That's better." She grabbed his hand. "It's very late. I want to go back to bed before the baby wakes up."

"You're not too surprised by this?"

"It's part of who you are. You will always be you; strong, determined and short fused."

"My fuse is longer than yours."

"You'd have to be taller for that to be true."

He could only laugh. He missed her too much to be upset at that moment. She was his driving force, and he felt honor bound to her.

"Can I tell you something... personal?"

"You can tell me anything."

He rested her forehead against hers. "I love you, too."

She smiled. "That's all I ever wanted." She finally had her prince.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

She was kidding herself when she hoped he would be attentive to them upon his return. He hadn't changed for the better. They had barely even spoken since the night he returned. He was especially distant after the mysterious youth reappeared, revealing his true identity. He irritated her to no end now, but she had her baby to keep her busy. It helped a little, but she constantly saw the proud Saiyan's face in that little bundle of joy. Her heart ached at times. She wanted him back so badly. When she became overwhelmed, her mother helped her a great deal. She continued her work on Vegeta's armor. Now she had to make a fourth set.

The boy from the future fascinated her. He was so handsome like his father but down to earth. Perhaps that was the goodness he acquired from Gohan. She was proud of her boy, or least what he would become. He was strong and smart and his heart was pure. He was everything a mother could ask for from her son.

Trunks glared at Vegeta whenever their paths crossed. Vegeta returned an equally murderous stare from his seat at the kitchen table. Bulma sighed deeply. "Boys will be boys."

"I don't need this!" He slammed his hands down on the table.

"You don't need anyone. Forget all about your family on your suicidal conquest for power."

"Listen here, you little bastard-"

"You're acting like my father now?"

"Shut up both of you!" They stared at her. "You don't have to like each other or understand each other. This is temporary and will be all over before you know it. You can just ignore each other until then."

"I can just keep doing my usual routine then."

"You are unbelievable!"

"Didn't you hear what your mother said?"

"About as well as you did!"

"Bulma!" The young boy had walked in through the kitchen door. He saw Vegeta and Trunks and immediately felt their tension. "You're busy…"

"Gohan!" Trunks embraced the boy. "It's great to see you!"

"Uh... Hi."

Trunks let go and laughed nervously. "I'm sorry. In my time after everyone is dead, you are my trainer. You're like my brother and father in the same person, at least until..." His voice trailed off. His fists were clenched at his side until his knuckles turned white.

"What's up?" Bulma asked, breaking the silence.

"How is the new armor coming?"

"Great! I've really out done myself this time. I'm just molding the slight differences in size and of course if they're fine for you guys then I'll have to make extras. They should be ready by tomorrow for sure!"

"Dad will be excited. He's getting the time chamber set up for us."

"Time chamber?"

"It's a room that lets you get a whole year's worth of training done in twenty four hours."

"That sounds awesome. I'd love to train with you."

"I was going to train with my dad."

"I'll join you. It will be like old times... Well at least for me."

Gohan shrugged. "If it's okay with my dad..."

"We can ask him tomorrow."

Gohan smiled. "We'll meet up at Kami's lookout then. Take care!" He left. Vegeta followed shortly behind, headed towards the back yard.

Trunks smiled and sat in a chair. "I really miss him. He taught me everything I know."

"You'll see him when you return."

He looked up at his mother, his eyes full of tears. "I want that to be true. I watched him die." His tears fell.

"Trunks." She embraced him, resting his head on her shoulder.

"What if I can't save him again, mother? What if I can't save anyone?"

She stroked his hair. "You've already saved us," she whispered.

"I thought I was changing the past for the better, but I think I made it worse. And my own father hates me."

She sighed. "Vegeta doesn't like reminders. He sees you and thinks of you as his own mistake, a moment of weakness. He didn't want either of us, but he needs us."

He looked up at her. "That doesn't make sense."

"It's love. If it made sense it would be easy." She kissed his forehead. "Let's relax today. Take the day off before you go training. We can go swimming."

He nodded. "I could go for that."

"Good. Trunks should be awake now. I'll get him ready." She let go of him. "I love you, son."

"Thanks, Mom. I love you, too."

Her face lit up as she smiled at him. He made her feel loved and hoped her own baby would really turn out to be that loving.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Trunks didn't hesitate to ask Goku to let him train with them.

"I was hoping we could pair off, father and son. Gohan still hasn't achieved super Saiyan."

Trunks hung his head. "I was afraid you would say that."

"Your dad isn't such a bad guy."

"No, he's just selfish and arrogant. Those are great qualities."

Goku looked at him confused.

Trunks shrugged. "It's only one day, right?"

"Well, it will actually be a year..."

"Ugh..." He rolled his eyes. "Let's just get it over with. I have to be stronger."

Goku smiled. He heard Vegeta in that last sentence.

* * *

Trunks tried to get used to the time room. He wasn't too crazy about training for a year straight, stuck in a room with a man who wouldn't give him the time of day. He took about keeping house, like he did with his mother. He took care of the beds, dishes, and laundry. It made him miss having someone there to keep him company. He took to singing his mother's songs to break the silence.

"_Baby, oh baby, don't you cry. I'm here for you, you'll be just fine. I'll be with you 'til the end of time. You'll be fine. Baby, you'll be fine_." He smiled to himself as he scrubbed the dishes. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Vegeta pretended not to hear the lullaby, but he knew it would haunt him.

Months had passed without a word between the two. They trained separately. Trunks hated being alone. It reminded him of his dark future. And he especially hated the dirty looks he got on a daily basis.

Vegeta wanted to be alone. He looked at Trunks and saw those piercing blue eyes. It reminded him of the woman. He started thinking about her more often than he wanted to, and it made him feel weak. This boy was a constant reminder and it infuriated him. He wanted to train with a clear mind.

One day Trunks couldn't take it anymore.

"Spar with me."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Spare me."

"I wasn't asking."

He glared up at him. Those blue eyes so much like Bulma's, but fierce like his own. "You can't compare to my power."

"I guess we'll never know." He turned away. "Coward." He deflected the energy blast. "Let's go, old man!"

"Don't call me that. I am the prince of all Saiyans." His hair transformed.

Trunks smirked as his hair transformed, too. They flew up and met together, Vegeta throwing punches. Trunks had learned to use his opponents strength against them. He waited for the ruffled prince to leave an opening. He put his hands together and cracked the other man in the shoulder blades.

Vegeta skid across the floor, looking towards the boy. "You won't catch me off-"

Trunks appeared in front of him. "Guard?" He punched right in the abdomen. "That's for earlier."

Vegeta connected with his jaw, sending him hurling to the ground, flipping twice before landing on his stomach. He got up quickly, avoiding another speeding punch. "You're fast, I'll admit that much. Kakarrot's kid is almost a passable teacher."

"Don't insult Gohan!" He powered up and rushed forward, missing Vegeta as he dodged. "Gohan is twice the man you'll ever be." He yelled between punches, enraged at the Saiyan.

Vegeta saw the boy tiring out and took the opportunity to knock him down. "That punk kid is just a weak earthling half-breed, much like you."

"Better than being a jackass who gets a girl pregnant just to run off and die!"

"No one is going to hold me back!"

Trunks rolled out of the way of the energy blast and dashed forward. Vegeta took the kick to his knees and fell. "You don't understand. You'll never understand the importance of family. They give you inspiration to do better, to _be_ better than you ever were. They would never stop you from achieving your ultimate goals. My mother lost her family and it drove her to build a time machine. She spent so much time building that thing just to save Goku and all of her friends, especially you. You don't even deserve a woman half as good as her."

Vegeta punched him hard and continued punching. "It's you that doesn't understand. I hate being vulnerable!" He knocked Trunks to the ground.

Trunks looked up at him startled. His father was overwhelmed… with emotion. He understood everything at that moment. His hair reverted to its former state. "I give this fight to you."

"I'm not finished with you yet."

"I know, but we'll do this again. It won't exactly be me, but it will happen. He'll want to train with you, no matter how much you try to push him away. He will want to be just like you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your son." He stood up and stretched. "Oh man, I'm going to hurt tomorrow. I'm going to bed. Goodnight." He smiled to himself as he walked to the bed chamber. He could see what his mother saw in the man. His determination was intoxicating. It made Trunks feel confident and happy. He was jealous of his baby self who would get to spend his life by his father's side. He couldn't wait to tell his mother.

* * *

She couldn't stand being away from her family for a whole day. She felt as if they had just gotten together only to separate again. She paced around the house before finding something productive to do. The day was through before she knew it.

"Mom!"

She embraced Trunks. He was taller than she remembered. She smiled at his long hair. "You look cool."

"Thanks," he said.

She looked down at his tattered clothes. "What happened to your armor?"

"Well, we… I was training and…" His voice trailed off.

Vegeta was behind him, his armor sporting the same wear.

"Did you two fight?"

"No, Mom, we were training. It was just a few sparring sessions. We held our own against each other."

"Oh, okay." She watched Vegeta go up the stairs. "How was it?"

"I understand everything now." He smiled.

"What does that mean?"

He shrugged. "I don't want to spoil anymore of the future than I have to."

"That doesn't make sense."

"If love made sense then it would be easy. Isn't that what you said?"

She rolled her eyes. "I just said that because I couldn't think of a better answer."

"Mom." He put his hand on her shoulder. "You know what to do. You're the smartest person I know." He went up the stairs to the guest room.

She sighed and retreated to her room. She didn't know what to think. What did Trunks mean he understood? She opened her bedroom door and immediately met with a pair of brown eyes.

He smirked at her shocked expression. "Did you miss me, woman?"

She practically flew into his embrace.

* * *

_Trunks' lullaby is sang to the tune of "Daddy, why did you eat my fries" from __Adventure Time__ Season 2: Episode 1- "It Came From the Nightosphere."_


End file.
